Community Park and Kids Castle Playground

Location:111 Ernie Mashuda Dr., Cranberry Township, PA 16066

Hours: Sunrise to 11:00 PM

Fields: Park Fields Status

Park Map: Community Park Map

Hiking/Walking: Trail Loop: (0.5 mi.)

Contact: Parks & Recreation Department  Ph: 724-779-4386

Services:  Restrooms. 

Concessions: During athletic events. 

Handicap Accessible: Yes 

Parking: Free, in designated areas

Wi-Fi: Free, during park hours, courtesy of Armstrong

Park Features: Rotary Amphitheater sponsored by Armstrong, Kids Castle Playground, Rotary Dog Park, 3 Picnic Shelters with grills and picnic tables (Jaycees Shelter, Lions Shelter, Rotary Shelter), Athletic Fields, 2 Sand Volleyball Courts, 5 lighted Baseball Fields, a lighted Football Field with bleacher seating, Basketball Court, 4 lighted Tennis Courts open to the public. 

After the success of Cranberry Township’s Canine Ambassador program in North Boundary Park, leashed dogs will be allowed to enjoy Community Park, beginning June 1.

As part of a pilot program, dogs will be permitted on designated areas and trails in Community Park beginning June 1. They must be leashed at all times and are not permitted on sports fields or Kids Castle Playground.  

Dogs are welcome to attend the Township’s Thursday Concerts in the Park and Family Movies in the Park events at the Rotary Amphitheater.

However, dogs will not be permitted in the park during the week of CTCC Community Days.

As they have done at North Boundary Park, the Township’s K9 Connection group will serve as Ambassadors to educate owners on rules. Waste stations and signage will be installed later this summer. The pilot program will be reviewed by Township staff to determine its success. 

The expansion of the Ambassador Program allows for even more access in Community Park, where a renovated Rotary Dog Park will be unveiled later this year.

Park Rules: 

Kids Castle Playground

Kids Castle playground, in Cranberry Township’s Community Park, creates a fantasy world of sights, sounds, and play equipment, specifically designed for children ages 2 through 12. Climbing, bouncing, rolling and swinging equipment appropriate for children of different ages, is arranged into three themed play areas, corresponding to the Cranberry of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. 

The play apparatus in each of three areas was selected to reflect the technology and culture of its time. 

  • The Past area consists of swings, climbing spaces, rolling hills, and spring-mounted riding animals.
  • The Present area incorporates the features most requested by the students surveyed, including many of the same features found in Playground Palace.
  • The Future area includes futuristic EVOS play structures, Mobius climbers, a bubble rider, and other leading-edge equipment.

In addition, the playground includes common areas, a small circular brick stage, terraced steps, walkways, open areas, trees and adjacent child-friendly restrooms. 

Kids Castle’s landscaping features picnic tables, benches, and decorative pathways, all of which are fully handicap accessible and built to current standards of playground safety as well as expectations of creating a memorable time. Free parking for parents and guardians is available adjacent to the playground. 

Kids Castle is a community-built playground and it replaced a 22-year old wooden known as Playtime Palace. It was dedicated in late September 2013. Construction involved approximately 300 community volunteers, in addition to work by the Township's Public Works personnel and the project contractor. 

Donations from residents, local businesses, Cranberry Township Community Chest (CTCC) and the Cranberry CUP organization, together with contributions from the municipal government of Cranberry Township, financed the $500,000 facility, as the 2013 Project of the Year.

Play Pittsburgh, a group of real Moms and kids who know how to have fun, blog about great places for families in the Pittsburgh area. In their words, “Kids Castle in Cranberry is, hands down, the most amazing playground we’ve ever been to in Pittsburgh.” Read more about their visit…